The present invention relates to an apparatus for the machining of workpieces.
In the machining of workpieces, the problem of retention of the part too be separated from the remaining part of the workpiece often arises. This is because the part of the workpiece to be separated can move during the separating operation and may thereby affect the tool. The consequence is that the product from such a machining process does not have precisely the form or dimensions which are to be achieved. Such problems occur, for example, in countersining and cutting erosion, laser cutting, flaming, plasma cutting, milling, etc.
In the machining workpieces by wire erosion using a wire electrode, the problem of retention of the part separated from the remaining part of the workpiece has so far not been solved satisfactorily. The unretained waste piece separated from the remaining workpiece can, as mentioned, move and the form of the cutting surfaces may be adversely affected thereby. If a workpiece is to be separated into two or more parts, it is difficult in general to control the part to be separated such that it maintains precisely the same position with respect to the remaining workpiece during the advance of the wire electrode.
The situation is even more difficult if a part is to be maintained out of the interior of a workpiece. In such cases, the position of the waste piece is often secured with the aid of guide plates before the cut is completed. These plates are inserted manually into the gap, already formed by the tool. Only then is the cut completed. The machining process by the tool must thus be stopped to allow the guide plates to be inserted into the cutting gap. For understandable reasons, such manual operations are hardly compatible with a numerically controlled machining process. In the machining of a series of workpieces, quite considerable idle times of the processing machine may be caused by this.
The object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus for the machining of workpieces which provides means for eliminating the disadvantages mentioned above.